Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Watford and Brentford at Vicarage Road as Troy Deeney puts the Hornets in front from the penalty spot after Ethan Pinnock had been sent off, but Ivan Toney earns point with his own spot-kick for Bees.
Tuesday 15 December 2020 23:41, UK
Ten-man Brentford extended their unbeaten run with a 1-1 draw at promotion rivals Watford.
Both sides scored a penalty in the Sky Bet Championship contest, while the Bees had defender Ethan Pinnock sent off.
Brentford were incensed when referee James Linington showed Pinnock a red card for a penalty box challenge on Ismaila Sarr that allowed Troy Deeney to open the scoring on the hour mark.
But their mood lightened three minutes later when Ivan Toney scored from the spot at the other end for his 16th goal of the season - and it brightened further when the hosts seemed to have a late goal mistakenly ruled out.
The result moved Watford up to third and kept Brentford, who last lost on October 24 and have not beaten the Hornets since 1977, in sixth.
The first real chance was Watford's on the quarter-hour mark as Sarr swivelled in the box but Bees goalkeeper David Raya was behind his low 12-yard effort.
The Bees retaliated with Toney stretching to head Bryan Mbeumo's cross just wide of a post as Watford watched, and soon after Mbeumo burst into the box but could not keep his shot down.
Watford were relieved to come through that unscathed but looked unsettled, with the 2,000 fans present for the last time for the foreseeable future voicing their frustration.
Toney had another go, this time from distance, but his shot was always rising and cleared the crossbar.
The former Peterborough striker was undeterred however and saw his next effort, from just inside the box in the 37th minute, float over Foster but bounce back off the far upright.
Toney decided to be unselfish as he burst into the box four minutes before the break by trying to play Josh Dasilva in. His team-mate had been pushed too wide to shoot however so attempted to return the favour, and Toney ended up poking the ball wide.
Watford began the second period strongly, with Tom Cleverley firing an early chance wide and Ken Sema getting past two men to set up James Garner, who lost his footing at the vital moment.
Raya saved from Deeney before referee Linington and his officials made their most controversial call in the 56th minute. Sarr chased Jeremy Ngakia's forward pass and went down in the box as Pinnock made contact.
Linington consulted a linesman and awarded a penalty before showing the defender a red card, to the fury of Bees manager Thomas Frank and his players, who felt Sarr had been offside, a theory television replays would have confirmed to VAR had it been in operation.
Deeney made no mistake from the spot for his third goal in as many matches.
Within five minutes Linington awarded another at the other end when Mathias Jensen's shot hit Christian Kabasele on one of two raised arms. Toney nonchalantly slotted home from 12 yards.
Substitute Stipe Perica had a header ruled out for Watford in the 82nd minute for offside - a call the officials also appeared to have got wrong as the striker was level with the last defender.
Watford's Vladimir Ivic: "We should have won this game because we had a man more. If we speak about the first 45 minutes we must be realistic - Brentford controlled the game and maybe deserved something more. In the second 45 minutes we scored but not for the first time we have conceded immediately after. We have spoken about that a lot of times. We cannot be satisfied with a point in the circumstances.
"From my view I believe they were both penalties. But with Stipe Perica it was a clear goal - there was no chance he was offside. When I came back into the dressing room I saw exactly the moment of the cross and the position of the striker and the defensive player, there was no question about it. For sure I am frustrated."
Brentford's Thomas Frank: "It was one of those situations where you could give a penalty, I will go that far, but it is not one of those situations where it was 100 per cent a pen. I would like to see that in a VAR room and see what they say.
"That was not the thing that made me be passionate, that was the red card. I know a ref can give a triple penalty but for me you can't do that in that situation. I don't know if they were in doubt or stressed or whatever but they managed to give Mads Bech the red card first - four refs together managed to give the wrong player the red card. That is why I am in doubt whether they managed to nail that situation."
